iCSC's climate finance initiative banner story in second largest Philippine newspaper

P10.5-BILLION CLIMATE FUND USED TO PLUG DEFICIT
The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines, July 17, 2010 - Before the May elections, the Arroyo administration used up the entire 150 million euros or roughly P10.5 billion of a French loan that Paris thought was for climate change mitigation – but the fund was used to plug the budget deficit.

Dominique Lebastard, economic counselor of the French embassy, announced last Wednesday the full disbursement of the loan from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in May or three months after the signing of the loan agreement in February.

In a press briefing, Lebastard said the loan was in support of the Philippines’ effort to protect the environment and mitigate effects of climate change.

Former Finance secretary Margarito Teves later told The STAR the loan was used for “budget support” to plug the government’s widening budget deficit of P325 billion.

“It was to plug the budget deficit and could not be attributed to the elections,” Teves said when asked whether the Arroyo administration violated election laws with the disbursement of the loan. He said the loan allowed the government to diversify its sources of funds.

Finance Undersecretary Rosalia de Leon explained that when a loan is used for budgetary support, it helps fund all projects of the government, including those related to environment protection.

“AFD’s first loan implemented by the Department of Finance worth 150 million euros or P10.5 billion was signed on Feb. 15, 2010 and was entirely disbursed by May 2010,” Lebastard said.

Government spending on infrastructure is not allowed during the election season. The country held national and local elections last May 10.

“AFD is supporting the Philippines in its fight against climate change and for environmental protection,” he said.

The AFD opened a local office in Manila in May.

The AFD said climate change complicates efforts to reduce poverty by causing increasingly frequent and serious damage in economically precarious areas, and underscores the need for a low-carbon development path.

Teves signed the agreement with AFD Asia Director Martha Stein-Sochas and French Ambassador Thierry Borja de Mozota.

Luc Le Cabellec, senior adviser of the Asia Department of the AFD, arrived in the Philippines in May to oversee the creation of AFD’s Manila office.

The office now facilitates the flow of official development assistance from France.

The AFD is a development finance institution established in 1941 to implement France’s Overseas Development Assistance policies.

Funding problems

Civil society groups, meanwhile, have called on the government to be cautious in dealing with institutions that offer funds for environment protection.

“The lack of national climate action plans has made the Philippines vulnerable twice over and this needs to change. The country is exposed to greater climate risks yet it is also vulnerable to predatory financing from funding institutions seeking profit from climate induced tragedy,” said Red Constantino of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC).

A report titled “Financing Adaptation or Funding Chaos,” released recently by the ICSC and Oxfam is calling for climate action through public finance.

The report revealed that over 54 percent of foreign climate funds have been programmed for mitigation activities while only 45 percent of the funds have gone to urgent adaptation measures.

Constantino said a public finance-driven climate action has already gained support from some political leaders like former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile.

Liberal Party spokesman and Quezon congressman Erin Tañada has said he is open to the idea.

“Among the first steps towards raising public funds for climate action is to scrutinize the national budget,” he said.

“We need to intensify demands for rich nations to scale up compensatory funding for impacts brought about by climate change. However, it is folly for the Philippines to rely only on the proliferation of finance pledges from developed countries,” the ICSC and Oxfam report said.

The report said the Aquino government must prioritize action on adaptation. It outlined a national adaptation agenda anchored on public finance.

The 30-page report is also asking concerned officials to “access untied finance from the Adaptation Fund, a non-donor-driven institution under the UN with funding modalities that allow developing countries to sidestep conditionality-heavy financing institutions such as the World Bank.”

“Adaptation should be declared as the national imperative,” said Oxfam climate campaigner Marie Madamba-Nuñez. Oxfam is a group of nongovernment organizations from three continents working worldwide to fight poverty and injustice.

“It is vital that new funds are mobilized and delivered to those least able to cope, such as small women shareholders in agriculture,” she added.

Recent figures provided by Oxfam showed that climate pledges from developed nations made during the December Copenhagen talks only amounted to $100 million.

The Philippines, meanwhile, only has P2.2 billion funding for climate change, P1.1 billion of which is intended for mitigation and the remaining P956 million for adaptation.

Oxfam and ICSC are also calling for the creation of a National Survival Fund “that will democratize access to and create predictable long-term finance streams for urgent adaptation and disaster-risk reduction projects and programs.”

“Rationalization and the immediate revision of the implementing rules and regulations of the Climate Change Commission should be considered urgent,” they added.

“The Commission needs to play a capacity-building, coordinative leadership role, primarily as the country’s lead climate action rating agency,” the report read. With Rhodina Villanueva - By Pia Lee-Brago and Iris Gonzales

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CALL FOR URGENT CLIMATE FINANCE ACTION GAINS GROUND
Aquino administration urged to take urgent climate action through public finance

Manila (7 July 2009) — Civil society groups called on the Aquino administration today to take concerted action against what it described as "governance chaos" reigning over the administration of climate change-driven finance in the Philippines.

The call was made with the release of a report titled Financing Adaptation or Funding Chaos, by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and Oxfam which called for climate action through public finance. The report revealed over 54 percent of foreign climate funds have been programmed for mitigation activities while only 45 percent have gone to urgent adaptation measures. Worse, said the groups, most funds for adaptation have come in the form of loans.

The call for public finance-driven climate action has gained critical support from leading national personalities. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has embraced the cause, stating "National survival is at stake. Public finance measures that protect our ecosystems and future generations is urgent." At the House, Liberal Party spokesperson and congressman Erin Tañada said "Among the first steps towards raising public funds for climate action is to scrutinize the national budget."

"The lack of national climate action plans has made the Philippines vulnerable twice over and this needs to change," said Red Constantino of the iCSC. "The country is exposed to greater climate risks yet it is also vulnerable to predatory financing from funding institutions seeking profit from climate-induced tragedy."

The groups called on the government to mobilize domestic funds for long-term climate action. "We need to intensify demands for rich nations to scale up compensatory funding for impacts brought about by climate change. However, it is folly for the Philippines to rely only on the proliferation of finance pledges from developed countries," said iCSC and Oxfam.

The report said the Aquino government must prioritize action on adaptation. It outlined a national adaptation agenda anchored on public finance. The report called on the government to "access untied finance from the Adaptation Fund, a non-donor-driven institution under the UN with funding modalities that allow developing countries to sidestep conditionality-heavy financing institutions such as the World Bank."

"Adaptation should be declared as the national imperative," said Oxfam climate campaigner Marie Madamba-Nuñez. "It is vital that new funds are mobilized and delivered to those least able to cope, such as small women shareholders in agriculture," Nuñez said.

Oxfam and iCSC called for the creation of a National Survival Fund "that will democratize access to and create predictable long-term finance streams for urgent adaptation and disaster risk reduction projects and programs." The groups said "rationalization and the immediate revision of the implementing rules and regulations of the Climate Change Commission should be considered urgent." The Commission, said the groups, "needs to play a capacity-building, coordinative leadership role, primarily as the country's lead line agency and local government unit climate action rating agency." #

For inquiries, contact: ejeepney.org. Glenn Maboloc, Oxfam, 0928-5042911, gmaboloc@oxfam.org.uk. Yvonne Caunan, Media Officer, Office of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, 0920-9835042, 552-6601 loc. 5554.

***

Green groups urge Aquino to review ‘skewed’ climate aid
YASMIN D. ARQUIZA, GMANews.TV
07/08/2010 | 03:53 PM

Environment advocates have challenged the Aquino government to review financial packages for climate projects, saying majority of the funds are loans for reducing emissions instead of grants that will help Filipinos cope with climate change.

“The country is exposed to greater climate risks, yet it is also vulnerable to predatory financing from funding institutions seeking profit from climate-induced tragedy," said Red Constantino, executive director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC).

He cited a study by the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) that showed 54 percent of funds committed to climate change projects from 1992 to 2018 were earmarked for mitigation efforts, which is mainly the problem of industrialized nations and not developing countries like the Philippines.

“Governance chaos reigns over the administration of climate finance that has entered the Philippines," according to a summary of the report Financing Adaptation or Financing Chaos, which Constantino presented at a policy forum Wednesday.

“This has skewed domestic climate action towards the wrong priorities. More international climate finance has gone to mitigation efforts instead of adaptation activities," the report said.

“Worse, it appears most of the resources allocated for adaptation programs and projects have come in the form of loans."

Of $2.08 billion in climate funds, loans amounted to $1.078 billion compared to $1.006 billion in grants, according to the EMB-DENR study presented by Constantino. For adaptation projects, loans outpaced grants by more than $200 million.

Adaptation to the negative impact of changing weather patterns is a crucial issue for environmentalists, as typhoons annually devastate many parts of the Philippine archipelago. The trend has placed the country in the Top 10 of the most vulnerable nations worldwide that suffer from climate change in recent years.

Amendments to IRR

Constantino also pushed for amendments in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law that created the Climate Change Commission, saying the government should be coordinating efforts among various agencies instead of implementing projects.

He said the Commission could best serve as a “knowledge hub" for various groups engaged in climate change advocacy, especially in seeking financing for community and local government projects designed to protect vulnerable sectors such as women and rural villagers.

Climate Change Commissioner and former DENR Undersecretary Lucille Sering admitted she had not paid much attention when she signed the document and agreed with Constantino’s proposal, saying, “If it is not amended soon, I refuse to be part of the IRR."

She also stressed the need to work with government institutions such as the Department of Finance and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, saying many of their staff are unaware of the Climate Change Act even though they play a critical role in climate finance negotiations.

“They have a bias for mitigation kasi iyon ang may returns," she said. Such projects often involve renewable energy efforts such as hydroelectric dams and methane recovery from waste.

“We are probably not insisting on the adaptation side," Sering added.

Last year, damage and losses from tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng (international names Ketsana and Parma, respectively) reached $4.38 billion, the equivalent to 2.7 percent of the country's total economic output, according to a study led by the World Bank.

National Survival Fund

Along with the aid group Oxfam, ICSC pushed for the creation of a National Survival Fund “that will democratize access to and create predictable long-term finance streams for urgent adaptation and disaster risk reduction projects and programs benefiting the most vulnerable, particularly women in agriculture."

Constantino said they have obtained the support of prominent legislators, including Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and Liberal Party spokesman Rep. Erin Tañada for the initiative.

Former national treasurer Leonor Briones expressed support for the proposed fund but advised the climate campaigners to “be as detailed as possible" in making estimates on the budget needed to finance adaptation projects.

She also urged government and donor agency representatives who attended the forum to pool their resources for climate change projects, and for the private sector to upscale their efforts at the national level instead of limiting their social work to their base of operations.

“We can sing about the whales, we can write poems about trees, we can explore the love lives of mosquitoes but if we are not prepared to spend money for the environment, it’s all just poetry and songs," she said.

Instead of foreign funding, Briones said environment groups could exert pressure on the Aquino government to reduce the estimated “P100 billion in losses in exemptions and perks to the private sector" in order to increase the national budget.

She said climate campaigners have to pinpoint priority projects and “translate (them) into bite-sized, doable, and time-bound" programs that can be incorporated in the executive budget by August or the legislative development assistance fund by December.

“Laced with toxins"

Reacting to the fund proposal, Commissioner Sering said it would be “difficult" for their newly created office to coordinate financing efforts for climate projects. “We’re not yet capable of doing that at this point," she said.

Her colleague, Commissioner Yeb Saño, said their office lost its temporary personnel after the change in administration last June 30 and they are still waiting for directives from President Aquino, who chairs the Climate Change Commission under the law.

During the forum, Saño sided with the climate campaigners and said “financial flows from north to south are laced with toxins."

A former official of the environmental group WWF-Philippines, Saño said he was prepared to “arrest the chaos in the commission in climate funds" during his six-year term. –VS, GMANews.TV

***

Enrile supports stronger public finance for climate change
Press Release, Office of the Senate President, 07 July 2010

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has expressed a strong support for the call of civil society groups to take concerted action against what they described as "governance chaos" in connection with the administration of climate change-driven finance in the country.

At present, funds to prepare and assist our people for climate change impacts are limited, most often in the form of loans, and are difficult to secure, thus making us victims of exploitative traditional and unregulated financing mechanisms of large multinational banks and financing institutions.

"Addressing the serious issue of climate change requires substantial investment in new technologies, processes and services which are not only desirable, but also essential to the survival of our people, especially when faced with natural calamities caused by climate change," Senator Enrile emphasized.

Even while Congress passed the Climate Change Act of 2009, Enrile said that legislators should now undertake its review, in order to make a realistic assessment of risks and damages climate change may pose to the environment and, more importantly, to the security of our people. "We must also consider reviewing our priorities in terms of budget expenditure so that we can devote much-needed funds for mitigation activities and adaptation measures. At the same time, we must also explore alternative sources of funds for these programs." "Climate change is a complex, multi-faceted problem. Our efforts must give emphasis on public finance to enable the new government to move towards climate change adaptation."

Enrile issued the statement in support of the Forum on Climate Adaptation Financing in the Philippines organized by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.

For inquiries, contact: Yvonne Caunan, Media Officer, Office of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, 0920-9835042, 552-6601 loc. 5554. #

___________________________________________

PRESS STATEMENT
Office of Lorenzo R. Tañada III
Representative
4th District, Quezon

07 July 2010

I wish to convey the support of my office to the public finance-driven climate action agenda proposed by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and Oxfam. My office has long supported urgent action on climate change, knowing the dire risks it poses to the future of the most vulnerable communities in the Philippines.

There are many approaches that our country can take with respect to the climate crisis.

One of the first steps Congress should take is to scrutinize the national budget and make sure that it responds to the needs of local governments and the poor as they face worsening climate impacts. My office is committed to lead the effort in crafting a climate-resilient national budget.
Measures to mitigate the rise in greenhouse gas emissions must be a key element in our country's strategy so long as it helps our economy and poor communities become more resilient to the increasingly severe impacts brought about by rapidly warming temperatures. However, with national interest as the operational imperative, adaptation must be elevated as the Philippine priority.

The country needs to confront the climate crisis together and as one. We need to build a strong alliance of champions in all levels of government. In the House, with the promise of new hope brought about by the Aquino administration, I shall help mobilize support for a lasting and effective climate action agenda.

Contact: Jessica Reyes-Cantos
Mobile: 0917 320 0007
Email: jeckcantos@gmail.com

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HISTORY MADE!

Vice President Jejomar Binay rides the "B-Jeep" to inauguration
By Kris Pronto, iCSC
July 1, 2010

Well, our happy eJeepney fleet has again levelled up. This time, as the preferred vehicle chosen by no less than Philippine Vice President Jejomar C. Binay for the inauguration rites he shared with new Philippine President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III on June 30, 2010.

Below are clips of news stories about the historic ride. It's been great. (For those who came across news that the VP and the B-Jeep were late, we've also posted excerpts from the blog of the inauguration's spokesperson Manolo Quezon, who said the VP was on time, on cue, and displayed courtesy by waiting for President Aquino, who had arrived with the outgoing Gloria Arroyo, and who had alighted from his vehicle 20 minutes earlier than scheduled by the organizers, to finish his review of the troops at the Quirino Grandstand.)

Never has a statement about the need for sustainable transport been made so festively and eloquently. The Vice President could have selected to go in the usual gas-guzzling SUV or limousine, by tradition. Surely the luxury vehicle would have fitted the usual clutch of bodyguards and the VIP.

But it was history that was more important, one which the simple Philippine-made eJeepney helped to write, a vehicle that the Vice President, when he was still the mayor of Makati City not so long ago, helped champion.

So in he rode, in what has since been called the "B-Jeep", to honor the man elected by millions to the vice presidency, along with the Filipino of the moment, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. Once again, the celebrated artist Toym Abdulmari Imao crafted the new design, with the humble bee as the center of his theme an insect symbolizing the biodiversity risks confronting the planet as we move seemingly inexorably towards potentially irreversible climate change. The "B-Jeep" was manufactured in the vehicle plant of Philippine Utility Vehicle, Inc. (PhUV), the proud and leading builder of most eJeepneys plying the roads today, including eTrikes and eQuads.

No wang-wang or sirens blaring, however, for the VP. No smoke, no noise, in an electric public utility vehicle duly registered and with proper orange plates, unlike so many electric vehicles today. The "B-Jeep" is a product of Filipino ingenuity, and it proudly carried during the great moment Binay's selected "security" contingent for the day - boy scouts, senior citizens and students - constituencies which placed him to where he is today based on the promise of a better, more just and sustainable life. The lead "B-Jeep" was escorted along the way by, you guessed it, another "B-Jeep", led by iCSC operations chief Jerome Palomar.

As the windshield message on the "B-Jeep" proclaims, the journey of Vice President Binay is now nationwide and no longer confined to Metro Manila. "Biyaheng Pilipinas" is what it says, and it may as well be the message for the humble and happy eJeepney, whose time has certainly come.

However small the footnote is, history has been made. #

Editor's note: here are excerpts from some news items the day after the inauguration. We've had to shorten them of course, but if you're interested to read the entire piece of the selected stories, we've pasted the URL right below each of the news items. Happy reading!

More photos and stories here.

***

Note on the Inaugural, by Manolo Quezon, 30 June 2010:

"... The “President’s March” was played, a 21 gun salut boomed out, and President Arroyo proceeded to review the troops as the band played “Atin Cu Pung Singsing.”

"As the military honors were being given, the Vice President-elect’s special electric jeep arrived, and there’s been some undue controversy over this. Some people took it to mean the Vice President-elect barged in on the scene to steal the show.

"At the time, I thought it was bungling of the protocol; the Vice President-elect is supposed to arrive ahead of the President-elect (as has been the tradition since the 1949 Quirino Inaugural; at the Quezon inaugural in 1935 the President-elect arrived ahead of the Vice President-elect).

What seems to have happened was this. The Presidential Party arrived about twenty minutes ahead of schedule -and it was the Vice President-elect who actually arrived on cue.

"I noticed that what the Vice President-elect chose to do was the correct thing: he waited in his vehicle for the military honors to conclude, and with it, President Arroyo shaking hands with President-elect Aquino, and then getting into her private vehicle: at which point the President-elect went up to the ceremonial platform. Because of the circumstances surrounding the early arrival of the Presidential Party and the arrival of the Vice President-elect, it would have been unseemly for him to sprint up ahead of the President-elect; so he went up after the President-elect.

"All in all, it was a courteous solution to an unintended snafu."

***

VP Binay arrives in Quirino Grandstand on board 'B-Jeep'

QTV/GMA-7: "Binay to take E-Jeep on his way to inauguration" --

ABS-CBN: B-Jeep to transport Binay to his place in history --

***

Jejomar Binay takes oath as vice president
GMAnews.tv, Sophia Dedace/RSJ, 06/30/2010 | 11:51 AM

Jejomar Cabauatan Binay formally took his oath of office as the Vice President of the Philippines at the Quirino Grandstand on Wednesday.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales swore him in while Binay's wife, Elenita, held a Bible on which the vice president placed his left hand.

Earlier, Binay arrived at the inaugural site on board a green electronic jeepney (e-Jeepney) that was labeled "B-Jeep." He came from the Manila Hotel.

In the recent May 10 elections, the former Makati City mayor received more than 14.6 million votes, only 727,084 votes ahead of closest rival Sen. Manuel Roxas II.

Roxas, President-elect Benigno Aquino III's running mate, was not seen at the inauguration rites at the grandstand....

***

Electric jeepney brings Binay to inauguration
Jose Rodel Clapano, The Philippine Star, July 01, 2010

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay arrived for his inauguration at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta in a battery-operated electric jeepney (BE-Jeepney).
At a press conference in the house of his son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay after the inauguration, the elder Binay said riding in a BE-jeepney with members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), students, nurses, medical sector representatives and senior citizens was his way of expressing his commitment to help solve the environmental problems facing the country.

“I used a BE-Jeepney because it is a big opportunity to show our concern with environmental problems facing our country. It is not needed in the provinces because pollution is lesser there. We need to encourage the use of BE-Jeepney in Metro Manila,” he said.

Like President Aquino, Binay took his oath before Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales with his wife Dra. Elenita Binay holding the Bible.

He said Mr. Aquino’s inaugural speech was very “presidentiable.”

He said he might be visiting towns and cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao three times a week in order to have direct consultation with the LGUs and help them get funds from the private sector to enable them to effectively implement programs.

***

BINAY RIDES E-JEEPNEY
Czarina Nicole Ong & JC Bello Ruiz, TEMPO, 01 July 2010

Vice President Jejomar C. Binay rode an electrical jeepney (e-jeepney) on his way to his oathtaking ceremony Wednesday.

Riding the short distance from the historic Manila Hotel toward the Quirino Grandstand, the Vice President used the inauguration as a unique opportunity to showcase to the world the ingenuity of Filipinos, especially since millions of viewers worldwide were glued to their television sets to witness the oath-taking.

The e-jeepney, which was launched in 2007, runs purely on electric power engine instead of diesel engine. Binay, while still Mayor of Makati City, was one of the first to drive the vehicle.

The vehicle boasts of an attractive green color splashed with an artwork reading “B-Jeep”, which stands for “Binay Jeep”. Its battery was charged for a total of eight hours before going to the park.

Not allowing themselves to be drowned in a “sea of yellow”, Binay supporters waved orange flags and popped orange umbrellas during the inauguration rites.

Orange is the campaign color of Binay and his defeated presidential bet, former President Estrada who also witnessed the occasion.

Other Binay supporters waved PDP-Laban yellow flags. Binay heads the PDP-Laban political party, the original party of President Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino.

Though he ran under Estrada’s banner, Binay considers himself a “Cory boy” as he once served as one of the members of the late resident’s so-called Yellow Army in 1986.

***

Binay shares oath ceremony with P-Noy
Philippine Information Agency Press Release, 2010/06/30

Manila (30 June) -- Vice President Jejomar Binay took his oath of office today also before Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales minutes before President Benigno "P-noy" C. Aquino III was sworn in by the lady magistrate at 12 noon at the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park in Manila.

Binay placed his hand on top of the Holy Bible held by his spouse, former Makati City Mayor Elenita Binay, as he recited his constitutional pledge after Justice Morales.

After the simple oath taking ceremony, Binay was congratulated by President Aquino, family members and other officials including former President Joseph Estrada.

Prior to their high-noon oath taking, Binay first heard mass at the Manila Cathedral early in the morning. From the cathedral, Binay proceeded to the Manila Hotel until he was given a go-signal to proceed to the Quirino Grandstand...

When then President-elect Aquino and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left Malacanang for inaugural rite, Binay rode on board a Makati-made electric jeepney in going to the Luneta Grandstand. (OPS)

***

Aquino, Arroyo convoys get in way of Binay’s e-jeep
By Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 02:22:00 07/01/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Dapper in a crisp barong Tagalog, Vice President Jejomar Binay rode Wednesday into what he called the next chapter of his life in a battery-powered jeepney to show his concern for the environment.

Too bad. Five fuel-guzzling SUV’s carrying the outgoing and incoming Presidents intruded into Binay’s programmed scene-stealer. With sirens blaring, the presidential motorcade beat Binay’s puny convoy of two electric jeeps to the inauguration at Quirino Grandstand.

“We are now going to start a new chapter in our service to the country,” Binay said in between handshakes and picture taking at the Manila Hotel lobby hours before the grandstand event....

‘I’ll be there’

Binay, who served for more than 20 years as Makati City mayor, was asked what his expectations would be for his first 100 days in office as vice president.

“I’ve been always saying that I’ll be there and be of help and more than that to continue the special relations perhaps between the Aquino and Binay families,” he said.

... Binay slept at the hotel on the eve of his inauguration. Before dressing up for the event, Binay went to Manila Cathedral to pray. “I just asked the Lord to always guide us in the things that we will do,” he said.

“The Vice President gives way to the President. In any context, that is always the case” said Binay’s spokesperson Lito Anzures. “No harm done at all.”

Binay said taking the jeepney to the nationally televised event was “a big opportunity to show the commitment of the country to the concern about problems regarding the environment.”

Environmentalist Red Constantino, an advocate of the battery-operated vehicle, drove Binay to the inauguration venue. Electric jeeps are now plying public transport routes in Makati City.

Constantino himself was involved in a minor discussion with inaugural organizers when he was told to move the jeep on the driveway while he was waiting for Binay to move out from the hotel lobby.

The coaster of Mr. Aquino’s sisters and other family members at first couldn’t move to pick them up and to leave the driveway because of the jeeps. Constantino later acceded and the coaster eventually managed to leave the premises. With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.

***

The Philippines welcomes President "P-Noy"
Posted on June 30th, 2010, Blogger News Network
by Nancy Reyes in All News, Asian News, Breaking News,

The Philippines inaugurated a new president yesterday: President Benigno Aquino III, the son of the late President Cory Aquino and the son of a martyr to our democracy, Benigno Aquino II.

The day was declared a holiday, and over half a million folks turned out for the inauguration ceremony, despite the fact that it rained all morning.

Here in the provinces, there was rejoicing too: locals are hoping that the new president will bring relief from the widespread corruption and make more jobs available here, so their children aren’t forced to migrate to Manila or overseas to find a good paying job.

There was a bit of a mix-up at the start: Vice President Binay came in late: he traveled in an electric jeepney, but was held up by the other bigshots in their cars. Here, the President runs with a VP pick on the party ballot, but you vote for them separately, and Binay was the VP choice for still popular ex President Estrada; but commentators were eager to point out that the reason he was late was not a breech of protocol but because the cars of the big shots delayed “ordinary” traffic.

Everyone was there, many wearing the Yellow of the People Power revolution of his mother. Ex president Estrada, a populist who lost this election to Aquino, sent him good wishes and attended, as did ex President Ramos. Our lovely ex president Gloria Arroyo was there too but she left early. Her choice lost badly, and there are some worries that a new administration will root out the suspected widespread corruption under her administration. However, as the newly elected Senator from her home district, she could be in a position to block this. Ironically, the Marcos clan also sent good wishes and promises to cooperate with the new President (Marcos is widely thought to be behind the assassination of the President’s late father).

Here in the Philippines, everyone has a nickname, and the President, who is commonly called “NoyNoy” (to distinguish him from his father “Nino”) has asked the press to call him “P-Noy” instead. “P-Noy” is of course pronounced “Pinoy”,the nickname for the average Filipino.

The new President is carrying the hopes that he will root out corruption and stop the widespread “extrajudicial killings” of reporters and activists and political rivals. The slowness of the courts in dispensing justice is notorious, and although most of these delays are due to an overburdened court system, many suspect political influence or “gifts” sometimes contribute to the delays. And, alas, the delays allow witnesses to go underground (under a false name, overseas, or sometimes literally underground)...

But hope springs eternal: folks hope President Aquino will root out corruption and bring in jobs. His personal integrity is not in question, but he lacks a dynamic personality; he hasn’t even been able to persuade his extended family to allow land reform, so how will he fare against more ruthless political manipulation, especially with our lovely ex president Gloria now in the Senate and able to thwart his every move?

But that is tomorrow. Yesterday it was rejoicing at the inauguration and last night, it was a huge street party rejoicing with the new president.

Remember to wear your souvenir tee shirt and put your NoyNoy bobble-head doll on the dashboard of your car or jeepney. Hope springs eternal, and maybe, just maybe, this time we will get a true reformer as president.

===========================
Nancy Reyes is a retired physician living in the rural Philippines. She blogs at Finest Kind Clinic and Fishmarket

http://www.bloggernews.net/124820

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